A Love and Hate relationship
by Jerikagoddess
Summary: Usagi thinks everyone on the planet has lost their minds, afer a battle with a youma leaves people acting rather strangely towards both she and Tuxedo Kamen
1. The plan

Chapter One- The Plan

Tsukino Ikuko smiled, as she began the day's work, cleaning away breakfast. She loved the stillness of the early morning- well, near stillness, anyway. She placed a pink bento and two slices of toast on the table beside the door, and backed quickly into the kitchen, bracing herself. As if on command the house erupted in a hail of shrieks coming from one of the upstairs bedrooms. Moments later, a blur of golden hair flashed out the door, slamming it closed. Ikuko noticed the sudden absence of the bento, and toast with a smile. _Have a good day, Usagi, dear_ she thought with a sigh.

Usagi ran as fast as she could through the empty streets, mentally grumbling at Luna for not waking her up. Luna had been spending longer and longer at "Central Control" and had overslept, herself. Thankfully Shingo had slammed his bedroom door on his way out, and it had startled her awake. She sighed. She had been having another one of the unusual dreams that inevitably followed every single transformation into Sailor Moon. It was night-time, and the stars were unbelievably bright. She leaned over the balcony waiting for someone. Her heart began racing as the figure would appear out of the shadows, his gleaming armor momentarily blinding her. Just as her eyes adjusted, and she was about to see the face of her prince, she would invariably wake up. Today she'd actually gone so far as to make out a strong build, and a shock of black hair before she'd been ripped from sleep, and thrown into another hectic day.

Usagi mentally shook herself out of her reverie. She crammed the toast her mother had made her into her mouth, and silently thanked whatever gods would hear her that at least she hadn't run into that baka Mamoru. She doubled her speed, as she reached the school courtyard. Those battles seemed to be finally paying off, she managed to slip into her seat moments before the bell. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

**************************************

Zoicite knelt before his Queen. He internally grumbled at the gesture- He didn't like lowering his head to anyone, and his knee wasn't what it used to be. He placed one fist over his heart in a show of loyalty he did not feel. If he were not so compelled- if his will were his own, he might consider _using_ the device he'd presented Beryl for inspection. She looked the object over, with obvious disinterest. _As she does with anything she doesn't understand _Zoicite thought bitterly. Finally the Queen looked down at her flavor-of-the-month General

"I am uncertain of this…er…plan, Zoicite. We simply release this eagle within Sailor Moon's vicinity, and it will kill her? It doesn't look like an eagle at all. Now we have a youma that looks like an eagle, and she should-" Zoicite stifled the urge to roll his eyes at the Queen

"No, my Queen. It's not actually an eagle, that's just the name of the manufacturer; Desert Eagle- .50 actually. Inside it are several small projectiles that when fired pierce through flesh, and the resulting blood loss causes death. The speed of death dependant, of course, on the location of the wound. Better still, there are several such projectiles in each magazine, so theoretically we could take out all four sailor nuisances in one fell swoop. The rose-toting Tuxedo Moron too, if I have my way" Zoicite finished with a smile as his imagination played the scene before his eyes. He was cut off with an exasperated sigh.

"Zoicite, as much as I appreciate your…er… enthusiasm, but, I mean really! Metal projectiles? Last week you wanted to hunt down Sailor Moon's true identity, and just kill her in her sleep! The week before that, what was it? Use some civilians as hostages, and force her to give herself up! Honestly, Zoicite, if you keep up with these ridiculous ideas, you may not be suited for a position as one of my Generals! No arguments now. I expect you to come up with a reasonable plan before the end of the day!" Zoicite growled with barely contained frustration.

"Fine, then. How about I take one of the youma- the youma of tacos or something- and, er, create a taco stand that sucks the energy out of anyone that eats them, cause, uh, we all know Sailor Moon loves to eat, and she's just dingy enough to fall for our sinister tacos" Zoicite hoped he wouldn't be executed for his sarcasm, but to his utter astonishment, Beryl smiled widely at him _She couldn't possibly like that moronic idea_ he thought incredulously, but Beryl quickly nodded her approval, and dismissed him to carry out his plan, congratulating him on another wonderful idea. Suddenly an idea struck him. At least he could make this a double pronged attack. The stupid taco-monster would certainly lure Sailor Moon, but he had another youma in mind that might just actually work. He rushed back to get approval of this second phase of his plan. He had to get approval of all youma use now after that incident with Jadeite, and the bachelor party. He sighed and teleported back into the throne room in his usual flurry of cherry blossoms. The Queen LOVED those cherry blossoms.


	2. An Odd Kind Of Day

Chapter Two- An Odd Kind Of Day

Usagi stepped past the gates of her school with growing satisfaction. It really had been an oddly satisfying day. She'd made it to school on time with both breakfast _and_ lunch, Ms Haruna- being preoccupied with an upcoming school-wide activity- had granted them a free study day, and had even let them take it in the courtyard if they wished. To top it all off, when the previous day's exams were handed back, she'd received an 85%! She skipped to the Crown gleefully, hardly able to wait to show her friends the paper lovingly cradled in her arms. So preoccupied was she that she didn't notice the tall figure rounding the corner until they collided. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of her, and sent her things scattering to the ground.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry" she gushed, as she bowed in apology "I was so preoccupied I didn't see you th- oh. It's _you"_ She finished in a huff as she looked up to reveal an irritated looking Mamoru. He glared at her

"'Oh it's YOU' is hardly an acceptable apology for nearly knocking someone to the ground Odango Atama, though I am impressed you even know what the word preoccupied _means_. " He paused, then broke into a mischievous smile. He noticed the test that she'd hurriedly snatched from the ground, and now held protectively as she gathered her other belongings. He knelt under the pretense of helping her retrieve her scattered books, and began placing them back in her black bag. When she was closing the bag, he took the opportunity to snatch the test from her.

"Failed another test, eh Odango?" he drawled, as he stepped past her and into the Crown arcade. He ignored her protests, as he flipped the test over to reveal the large 85% printed at the top, along with a short note of congratulations from her teacher. Mamoru's eyes widened in surprise. He held the test higher, as Usagi tried to jump, and reclaim it. As she jumped she continued a steady stream of protests.

"Give" _huff_ "that" _huff_ "back" _huff_ "you" _huff_ "BAKA!" He held the test higher, and laughed. She was just contemplating giving him a good swift kick in the shins- _that ought to bring him down to size-_ when Motoki stepped from behind the counter to see what was going on. _Mamoru LAUGHING_? Motoki wondered. The notoriously taciturn upperclassman hardly ever displayed any mirth.

"Mamoru, are you teasing Usagi about her grades again?" He sighed. Mamoru shot him a grin.

"As a matter of fact, I was thinking the world must be coming to an end. Usagi got an 85%!" He said proudly. Motoki's eyes widened, as he took the paper from Mamoru's hands to verify.

"Wow, Usagi- this is great!" Motoki exclaimed. "I think this calls for a free milkshake!" He braced himself for the squeals of delight, and looked up when they didn't come. Usagi was staring at Mamoru in surprise, a blush rising in her cheeks. Not only had Mamoru not teased her for the grade, he'd called her Usagi. Belatedly she registered what Motoki had said, and turned to smile at him.

"Thank you Motoki" she beamed. As she bounced off to the counter, Motoki gave Mamoru a knowing look. Mamoru met his gaze evenly

"What?" He asked. Motoki snorted.

"I wish you'd just tell her already. All this pussy-footing around is giving me ulcers" Mamoru glared at him darkly effectively ending the conversation.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Motoki" Mamoru called over his shoulder, as he went to sit at his usual stool.

Usagi sipped at her milkshake, and watched out of the corner of her eye, as Motoki and Mamoru chatted. She wished he'd stopped picking on her long enough for them to have a decent conversation. He was so smart, she imagined he'd be very interesting, like the conversations she and Ami had, when the other girls were not around. She didn't understand half of what Ami said, but she always left the conversation feeling like she'd learned something. He'd gone out with Rei once or twice, before explaining that he really didn't have time, as his studies were very demanding. They'd since become friends, and Rei always commented that he seemed to know about everything. Usagi sighed in frustration, as she glanced at him. His thick black locks and sapphire eyes never failed to take her breath away. He reminded her of someone, but she never could place her finger on who- not that she'd put a whole lot of effort into the subject. Between his constant tormenting of her, and her infatuation for Tuxedo Kamen, her feelings had never had the chance to develop into a real crush. _Opportunity missed_ she thought sadly. He'd never see her as anything but stupid Odango Atama. She glanced over as the door slid open to reveal a petite girl with shoulder length red hair.

"Naru-chan!" Usagi exclaimed happily. The constant battled, and endless senshi meetings drastically reduced the ammount of time she was able to spend with her one-time best friend.

"Usagi-chan!" Naru replied with a grin. It was good to see Naru smile. She'd been sad for so long after the death of Nephrite. Usagi bounded forward.

"It's great to see you outside school, dont you have cram school today?" Usagi asked repressing a grimace. She was thankfull her mother never made good on her promises to send her to cram school if she didnt bring up her grades. Naru shook her head, grin growing wider

"I took the day off! I thought if you werent busy, maybe we could have a girls afternoon, just us" Usagi beamed at the thought. Rei had a cold, and had canceled todays senshi meeting.

"That sounds WONDERFUL" Naru grew excited.

"Great Usagi-chan. You know, there's this new taco stand that just opened up, and they're giving away free tacos, maybe we could check it out!" Usagi was immediately wary

"Uh, sure, Naru. I'll be right back okay?" Usagi stepped through the door to the restroom and locked it behind her. She was immediately wary anytim Naru suggested an activity. Images of Osa-P Jewelry, the Gym, and a dozen other instances where Naru had led them into a Dark Kingdom attack sprung to mind. It was like she was a beacon for all things sinister. If there was evil in a ten kilometer radius, Naru would inevitably have her energy drained by it. Usagi pulled out her communicator, and signaled all the Senshi.

"What is it?" came Luna's worried voice.

"There's a new taco stand giving out free tacos" Usagi announced "I think it may be a Dark Kingdom plot"

"What gives you that impression" Rei asked suspiciously

"Naru is going to be there" Usagi replied

"Dark Kingdom plot" Rei, Makoto, Ami, and Luna replied in unison.

"We'll be right there, Usagi-chan. Keep an eye on Naru, and for goodness sake don't let her get her energy drained again!" Ami said worriedly. Usagi nodded, and stuffed the communicator back into her pocket, before exiting the bathroom. She linked her arm through Naru's and led her from the Crown.

"So, taco's you said?"

*******************


	3. Taco Monster of Doooooom

Taco Monster of Doooooom

Motoki watched Usagi depart, before turning to glare at Mamoru

"You know this has gone beyond ridiculous. Are you so much of a masochist that you WANT her to hate you" Mamoru shrugged

"I can't help it. Anytime I see her, we just end up arguing. She hates me already anyway, so it's all a moot point" Motoki smiled

"You know, one of the things I like most about Usagi, is her heart. She has the kindest, most forgiving heart of anyone I've met. I bet she'd even forgive YOU. My break's over, so I have to head back downstairs to the arcade now. Later, Mamoru."

Mamoru sighed, and stood to leave. His best friend's words grated on him long after he's left the arcade. He knew Motoki's words were meant to ignite his curiosity. Even more irritating, was that it was working. _Would she forgive him if he asked her_? He shook his head as if to dispel this traitorous line of thinking, before it could fully form in his mind. Mamoru had reasons for keeping the object of his desire at bay. No matter how he cared for her, she would not be the only woman in his life and that was hardly fair. While it's true his daylight hours were spent basking in the near tangible light that emanated from Usagi wherever she went. While it was also true that he went to the Crown to hear her tinkling laughter as much as to see Motoki, Usagi held only one third of his world. Daylight belonged to her. His evenings were spent whisking the naïve, and gentle warrioress Sailor Moon from certain death, and bolstering her confidence when she doubted herself. His dreams, however, belonged only to his Princess. The thought of his Princess was enough to distract him from the clumsy blonde that stirred his heart. He knew deep down that what he felt for this enigmatic figure trumped that of every other part of his life- save one; Sailor Moon. Part of him suspected that Sailor Moon and his Princess were one and the same, but he had no way to be sure, for if she was, she had no idea. That seemed highly unlikely to him, but not impossible. He, himself had not known he was Tuxedo Kamen until he held the first rainbow crystal. The crystal was the key. The Senshi themselves said they needed the crystal in order to find their princess, just as the princess told him to find the crystal in order to free her. Even more curious was the way the Senshi seemed to center themselves around her in a way that was more protective of a vulnerability than obeisance to a trusted leader. Above and beyond all of these little pieces of evidence, though, was the overwhelming sense of devotion and protection he felt towards Sailor Moon. It was the exact feeling that came over him in his dreams whenever his Princess asked him for the Silver Crystal.

Mamoru was about halfway home when he felt it. The painful tug at his heart, like it was being physically pulled somewhere. Mamoru looked around himself to make sure the coast was clear before transforming, and following the pull to where he knew he'd find Sailor Moon in danger. Luckily the battle was less than a block away. Sailor Moon didn't see Tuxedo Kamen's approach as she had her back to him, facing the Dark Kingdom's youma of the week. She must have just arrived, because she hadn't even finished her trademark speech yet. Her voice rang out through the clear night, and Tuxedo Kamen jumped into a nearby tree to get a better view, and a better angle for the moment she'd need him.

Sailor Moon took a protective stance in front of Naru who was already unconscious- again. Usagi had tried to convince her NOT to eat the taco handed to her by a very suspicious buxom brunette, but Naru just thought Usagi wanted it for herself, and took a big bite. She almost immediately lost consciousness, and the taco stand woman turned into a youma in a hail of maniacal laughter. Usagi, dashed behind a building, transformed, and leapt back into the fray not even registering the youma's ridiculous appearance.

"How dare you abuse innocent schoolgirl's love of afternoon snacks? Even if you offered me a 7-layer burrito I couldn't forgive you! In the name of the moon you're- wait, are you seriously a giant taco? Really?" Sailor Moon had to stop. She was used to the silly things the Dark Kingdom sent after her, but a busty, yellow long legged woman with a giant taco for a body just seemed beyond the pale. The youma took a moment to look thoroughly embarrassed

"Lay off, would ya? It's not like I exactly have a choice, you know!" Feeling a little snarky and arrogant, Sailor Moon mocked her

"What's your attack? Shredded lettuce of betrayal?" The youma straightened, and shot the Senshi a scowl

"No, that would just be stupid!" She raised her hands and pointed at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon quickly sidestepped, so that any missed attack would not find Naru as a target.

"Grated Cheese Surprise!" the youma shrieked, letting loose a volley of viscous yellow goo. Sailor Moon yelped, and dove to the side. She found herself momentarily behind the youma, and took advantage of the situation.

"Sailor Moon kick!" she yelled leaping at the youma, and driving her knee into its back. The youma staggered forward, and Sailor Moon used the opportunity to blast it with her tiara. The youma screeched, and disappeared in a puff of glittering dust. Sailor Moon looked at the pile of dust in surprise.

"Did I seriously just bag a youma all by myself?" She wondered aloud. Then she sighed "And nobody was around to see me do it, great. The girls will NEVER believe me."

"You did well Sailor Moon" A voice said from behind her. She spun to see Tuxedo Kamen leap from a tree, and approach her.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" She exclaimed, clasping her hands before her. He simply smiled. The admiration in her voice every time she said his name was an unbelievable self-esteem boost, and never failed to warm his heart. Sailor Moon stepped forward wondering why he was still here, when the youma was defeated. She opened her mouth to ask that very question, when his expression suddenly changed to one of surprise, and horror. Sailor Moon turned to see another youma had cast an energy ball at her. He didn't have time to shout a warning, so he did the only thing he could do, he dove for her, catching her in his arms, and twisting in the air so they landed with him taking the impact of the fall. The youma laughed and tightened her fist. Immediately the energy ball altered its course, and blasted into them. Tuxedo Kamen looked up in confusion. There had been no pain. A sudden rush of warmth, like a summer breeze, and that was it. He'd seen the energy ball coming, seen the flash of brilliant pink light envelop them, but there had been no pain of impact, just a gentle warmth that was almost pleasant, and actually left a strong smell of flowers around them.

"Kind of a dud wasn't it?" He asked the youma dryly. The youma only laughed harder.

"Oh, you'll see, my dear. Love is subtle, but undoubtedly deadly!" She called back. Suddenly she was engulfed in pink light, and disintegrated into shimmering dust. He looked down in surprise to see Sailor Moon had used her tiara.

"Two in one day, very impressive" He murmured in her ear, allowing himself a moment to enjoy the pink color her cheeks turned. He stood, helping her up as he did so. A groan from behind him made his eyes widen. A small girl with shoulder length red hair was regaining consciousness. It was the girl Usagi had left with earlier. Was she somewhere nearby? Was she injured?

"Farewell Sailor Moon" He called sharply, and jumped back into the tree he'd used before. He scanned the area quickly, but saw no sign of his Odango. Sailor Moon seemed to take little notice of his departure, she was focused on the girl he remembered Usagi referring to as Naru.

"Naru-chan, just take it easy" Sailor Moon said softly, helping the girl to sit up. She pulled out her communicator, and quickly signaled the Senshi, letting them know the battle was over, and she'd have a full report for them tomorrow. Naru was a little more alert now, and looking around.

"Usagi?" she asked trying to stand up. Tuxedo Kamen leaned forward trying to hear better. _So Usagi HAD been there, after all_. Sailor Moon put a hand on Naru's shoulder.

"Don't try to get up, yet. When the youma attacked, and you fell, Usagi ran to get me. I told her to hide till I came back for her. I'll have her come take you home, just stay put for a minute" Tuxedo Kamen sighed with relief. Usagi was ok. He watched Sailor Moon take off down the street and followed her. He wanted to make sure Usagi got back safely, he told himself. Ghosting her, he tried to figure out what was nagging at the back of his brain. Something about hearing Naru call Sailor Moon by Usagi's name. He watched her disappear down a dark alley, and stopped to wait. There was a pink flash of light, then Usagi emerged from the alley, running full kilt back towards Naru. Tuxedo Kamen didn't follow her. He couldn't do anything but sit there stunned, looking at the dead ended alley Usagi had come from. Suddenly it clicked. All the scattered pieces of his life suddenly fell into place, as the images of the three women he loved slowly melded into one. The certainty and knowledge welled up inside of him until he thought his heart would shatter from the force of it.

Usagi. Usagi was Sailor Moon.


	4. Unwanted Attention

Unwanted Attention

The alarm went off entirely too soon. Usagi reached out one hand to slap the offending clock into silence, but her hand found only air. Begrudgingly, she opened her eyes, squinting at the morning light blaring in through her windows. On her dresser, safely out of arm's reach, her alarm continued to merrily trill its wee mechanical heart out. She vaguely remembered moving the clock in an attempt to wake up on time. _Well, it worked_ she thought drowsily as she stood up to turn the offending alarm off. Luna looked up in surprise

"Not a word, you" Usagi grumbled. Quickly she dressed and fixed her long hair into her trademark odangos. Immediately she berated herself for using that dreaded nickname. Mamoru had started it, but then it turned up everywhere. Shingo, Rei, even some of her classmates had all adopted it. It was absolutely infuriating. She stomped down the stairs, grabbed her bento, grumbled a response to her mother's surprised exclamation over her early appearance, and grabbed the doorknob.

"Usagi, your brooch" Luna hissed quietly. Usagi swore- something she never did- and stomped back up the steps into her room. She was feeling oddly prickly today. Maybe it had something to do with the attack last night. As she grabbed her brooch from where she kept it under her pillow, she noticed something she hadn't in her rush to get ready for school; a red rose on her pillow sitting on top of a small folded note. She knew she was no light sleeper, and it was no surprise that a visitor in the night didn't wake her, but she could think of only one person who could've gotten into her room, and not wakened Luna. The rose was also a big clue. She opened the note. As was his style, it was short and to the point. _We need to talk, T. K._

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama" she murmured, clutching the rose to her chest. She turned as Luna walked into the room, obviously wondering what was keeping her charge for so long. She spotted the rose, and her eyes widened. Usagi showed Luna the short note.

"Tuxedo Kamen!" She said sounding scandalized. "Usagi-chan, I know you think you have feelings for him, but how could you reveal your identity to him- we don't know if he's an enemy or not!" Usagi glared at her Guardian

"I'm not stupid, Luna! Of _course_ I'd never give up my identity. I don't know how he found out about me, but I trust him not to betray me. I wish _you_ could just trust _me_!" She turned, and stormed out the door, and was down the road before Luna could process what had happened. She shook her head sadly

"I didn't mean it that way" She protested to nobody in particular. "What am I going to do with that girl?"

****************************

Usagi stopped running as she rounded the first corner. The fact that she'd set out early enough that she could actually afford to walk for a change did little to cheer her. There was a reason she was normally so perky and cheerful; she absolutely loathed teenage angst. Whenever Luna or her mother triggered a stereotypical teenage outburst, she felt thoroughly disgusted with herself. Rei was the drama queen, Usagi, the lovable flake. She shrugged it off. She understood Luna's concern, however unwarranted, but it didn't change her feelings on the matter.

Usagi looked down at the rose still clasped in her hand. She should have been horrified that Tuxedo Kamen knew her identity, but she wasn't. She was thrilled. He had recognized her normal form, known where she lived in order to deliver that rose. It didn't take Ami-chan to figure out that probably meant he knew her in real life. Usagi snapped half the stem off the rose, and slid the bud into one of her odangos. A smile spread slowly across her face, and she skipped a little more cheerfully to school. He knew her, so it stood to reason that she knew him. Probably saw him every day. Usagi smiled even wider as she stepped into her school building. She was going to figure him out too.

The day began weird, and just got weirder. Usagi followed her normal pattern with the notable exceptions of one; not being late and two; mentally comparing every young male she ran across with Tuxedo Kamen. She knew the glamour that made them unrecognizable to one another made facial features an unreliable marker, but certain things didn't change from one form to another. Height and build for one. Tuxedo Kamen was no small man approaching six feet tall, and well muscled though still slim. A guy like that would stand out. She also doubted his thick black run-your-fingers-through-me hair would look much different in the daylight hours. So those were her markers; tall, muscular, tousled black hair. She spent her morning sizing up her classmates; too short, too thin, too blonde _damn- that rules out Motoki as well. _She was too focused to even blush when Ms Haruna commented on her surprising punctuality.

"What's with you today Usagi-chan?" Makoto commented as they headed out to their favorite tree for lunch. Usagi looked up from her scanning only momentarily.

"Nothing, Mako-chan. I'm just, uh…distracted. You know, daydreaming. She finished lamely. She'd scanned every boy at this school, but there wasn't one even close to resembling Tuxedo Kamen. Absently she fingered the rose in her hair, a movement that didn't escape Makoto's notice.

"Where did you get that? Did a guy give it to you?" She asked interestedly. Usagi hesitated, and then launched into her tale, spilling everything about the previous day's fight and the rose on her pillow in the morning. She winced, knowing that Makoto was a hopeless romantic at heart, and would tease her about Tuxedo Kamen being in her room. So it came as quite a surprise when Makoto simply eyed her suspiciously.

"So, what, you think because he left a rose and a note on your pillow he's in love with you?" She asked in a tone that was far snider than was usual for her.

"N-no. That actually hadn't occurred to me. I assumed he left the rose so I'd know it was really from him. You know his thing with roses." Usagi answered hurriedly. It was true, the rose was probably nothing romantic to him, but she kept it just the same because of _her_ feelings for _him_. He did seem to have something for her, though... The rose was left on her pillow- a fairly intimate gesture. He could have just as easily left it on her window sill or dresser. Then there was the kiss they'd shared at the Princess Diamond ball weeks earlier, and he'd told her in the elevator shaft when Nephrite was trying to kill them that he felt compelled to protect her, and that he felt connected to her. Something told her not to mention any of these things to Makoto, though she didn't understand why. Makoto seemed pacified by Usagi's explanation however, and let it drop.

"Is that why you've been so distracted today?" Usagi nodded

"He knew where to find me, so he must know me. I've been trying to figure it out"

"Hm" was Makoto's curt reply. "I- I need to go talk to Ami-chan. She's in the computer lab. Later" Makoto scooped up her bento, and took off at high speed. All Usagi could do was stare at her feeling completely bewildered. Before she could process Makoto's sudden departure, a figure approached her from behind. She spun around to find Umino looking thoroughly uncomfortable.

"Umino! What's wrong? Are you worried about Naru-chan?" Usagi asked. Umino shook his head and fumbled with a small box in his hands.

"Um… no. I broke up with Naru-chan last night." He muttered.

"Umino, you shouldn't have done that! How could you be so mean to Naru-chan, and after she was attacked by a monster!" Usagi scolded. Umino shifted even more uncomfortably.

"Well, you see… It's hard to catch Naru when she HASN'T just been attacked by some monster or other, and I just had to tell her I couldn't be with her when my heart belonged to someone else!" He thrust the box into Usagi's hands. She opened it to reveal a carefully prepared bento that featured coconut fried shrimp arranged into a heart. All the onigiri were bunny shaped. Usagi looked up at Umino in surprise. "You see, Usagi-chan. I couldn't stand to be with Naru for one more moment when you're the one I adore. Say you'll be mine! I just can't stand the thought of living without you another minute!" He finished in a rush, bowing low before Usagi. Carefully handed the bento back to Umino and took a step back.

"Umino, I think you should take this bento to Naru-chan today after school and tell her you're sorry" She said softly. Umino opened his mouth to protest, but Usagi held up a hand

"I'm sorry, Umino. You're a good friend, but I couldn't do that to Naru." He seemed about to object further, so she decided to tell a little white lie "Besides- I love someone else. I'm sorry I really am. Please make up with Naru-chan" Without waiting for a response, Usagi turned, and headed away. Maybe she'd be better off eating at her desk. _What a weird day_ She thought.


	5. The Arcade

Sorry about the delay. Between work, and burying myself in the new Dresden book- well you get the point. This installment is somewhat less funny, but, hey- we have to get the serious stuff out of the way before we can get back to the comedy. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, and enjoy!

The Arcade

Usagi took a moment to wonder how she ended up crouched in a narrow alley. She recalled with vivid clarity the number of times various youma had forced her to this slip of an alley way, once she'd even hidden here to escape the cruel words of her cat, of course then Mamoru-baka had found her, and teased her relentlessly.

"Odango?" Oh it would just figure. Usagi grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him into the alley with her

"Shut up, will ya? People know you call me that- they'll find me!" she hissed. He stared at her in bewilderment. If she were in danger, wouldn't she have transformed? He looked around for a threat of some kind, and upon finding none, began to question her sanity.

"What are you DOING?" He asked incredulously. Usagi's face turned red.

"I would think it's perfectly obvious that I'm hiding! And _you_ are blowing my cover, now keep your voice down!"

"I can see that you're hiding Usagi, _why_ are you hiding?" He asked with an air of long suffering patience

"The boys in my class are acting a little strangely." She whispered nervously.

"Which is why you're hiding in an alley?" He couldn't keep the smirk off his face.

"Yes! If you must know, a few kids in my class asked me out at lunch today. Some even broke up with their girlfriends!" He had a feeling she wouldn't be cowering here like a woman hunted over a few overly amorous boys, so he pressed

"Now the girlfriends have formed a posse or something?" He quirked an eyebrow at her, causing her to blush furiously

"Well, them too… It was more than a few boys… more like the entire male student body." Her face turned a darker shade of scarlet. She took a deep breath and began again. "Okay, It started at lunch with Umino. I thought it was downright bizarre, I thought he'd gotten over his crush on me when he started going with Naru-chan. But then…" she trailed off.

"But then…?" He was still piercing her with his gaze, waiting for the rest of the story. Usagi felt her will crumbling as the whole sordid tale spilled out

"Fine. Then, when I got back from lunch there was a pile of love notes on my desk. At least a dozen. It was crazy! I laughed about it thinking it was some prank the girls were pulling on me, but then it got… er… less funny. A few of the girls in my class accused me of laughing at _them_ for having stolen their boyfriends away. They called me a few names I will _not_ repeat here, and said they'd be waiting for me after school." She looked up at Mamoru again expecting to see him laughing at her. She was rather surprised to find him looking contemplative. He glanced down at her

"Please continue" he said softly. Usagi blinked _Why wasn't he making fun of her_? Not wanting to ruin his uncharacteristically kind mood, she obliged him.

"Like I said before, they weren't the only ones waiting for me. The entire male student body was outside the school. The girls looked like they were ready to lynch me, but the guys…" She shuddered "And don't even get me _started_ on the flowers." She looked up again to find him fighting a smile

"Flowers, eh? Is that where this came from?" He asked gently tweaking the ponytail that her rose was tucked into. Of course he knew EXACTLY where the rose had come from- having conjured it himself, but he couldn't resist the opportunity to razz her about it just once, and her reaction should be priceless. He was not disappointed. Her face turned, if it was possible, an even deeper shade of scarlet.

"Um, no… that came from…er…well, it's not important. As I was saying, they were all waiting there for me, so…"

"You ran" Her face turned red again

"I ran. Well, what would you have done? They were crazy, but I couldn't very well use my tia- er charming smile and cunning wit on them" She corrected hurriedly. Mamoru smiled at the near slip.

"Wait, why do you care, anyway? Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you hate me, and tease me mercilessly?" She demanded. Now it was Mamoru's turn to flush. (Real men don't blush after all). He wasn't sure what to say _Well, Usagi, I really quite like you, but you're just so damned cute when you're fuming at me_? No, she was having a bad enough day, and it was going to get worse once he confessed his alter ego's identity to her. He didn't delude himself into thinking she'd swoon into his arms with glee. More likely she'd scream, and cry that her crush was really the one person on the planet she hated.

"Is this clown bothering you, Usagi-san?" A voice from just beside them asked. Mamoru felt relieved for an instant before he looked up at the interruption. About thirty people, polarized between male and female, stood not five feet away in the mouth of the alley. The speaker had come from the male group, and like most of them was holding a large bouquet.

"I see what you meant about the flowers" He whispered to Usagi. Usagi for her part looked every bit like the frightened animal that was her namesake. She, in choosing a hideout, had neglected to make sure it had multiple exits. One quick glance over her shoulder revealed that it was, in fact a dead end.

"No, I'm fine- really. Mamoru san was just, er… helping me with homework" She finished lamely, hoping they wouldn't call her on the fact that the tutoring was taking place in a dark alley in the complete absence of any scholastic materials, such as books, or even pencils.

"Right, like Usagi has EVER done homework" One of the girls Usagi identified as Kata spat. Then she looked at Mamoru closely. One could almost see the floating hearts around her head.

"If you'd care for a real student, Mamoru-sempai…" Kata trailed off suggestively. Mamoru shook his head disgustedly. Somehow it was so much cuter when Sailor Moon looked at him like that. He decided not to even dignify the remark with a response. He busied himself trying to find a way out of the alley that didn't involve him scooping Usagi up, and taking to the rooftops in broad daylight. He glanced down at Usagi, who was eyeing the nearest fire escape, and smiled. She was obviously having similar thoughts.

"Don't look at Usagi-chan that way!" Umino yelled, stepping forward. Kata stepped in front of him putting her inches from Usagi and Mamoru clearly she was the leader of the female group.

"You don't speak to Mamoru-sempai like that" She snapped. "Anyway, you don't have to worry, because someone as obviously mature and _sophisticated_ like Mamoru-sempai would _never_ fall for someone like _Usagi_." Mamoru's eyes flashed, but before he could say anything, the group of boys descended on her, and a shouting match erupted. Mamoru caught Usagi's eye, and motioned towards the fire escape at the back of the alley. She nodded, and inched backwards away from the oblivious gaggle of screaming teens. They might have made it, too, until Mamoru made one horrible mistake. As he turned, he grabbed Usagi's hand, not wanting to be separated from her as they fled. It was a casual, completely innocent gesture, but it was enough. Kata noticed the contact and, in no uncertain terms, lost her cool.

"Don't you ever touch him again!" She screeched at Usagi. Kata's hand swept back to smack her in the face. Usagi braced for impact, but it never came. She opened her eyes to find that Mamoru had caught the Kaya's wrist mere inches from her face. The girl looked positively stunned, while Mamoru just looked, well, dangerous. He dropped her wrist quickly, and pulled Usagi slightly behind him. She realized he'd never let go of her hand. He was still looking daggers at the overzealous girl.

"You," he snarled, "don't get to touch Usako. Ever." The crowd was stunned into complete silence for a moment. Usagi's heart skipped at the nickname he didn't even seem aware of having used. Mamoru took full advantage of the temporary shock, and pushed his way through the crown, pulling Usagi behind him. Usagi tried not to notice the looks she was getting, and concentrated on keeping up with Mamoru's demanding pace.

They were just rounding a corner three blocks from the arcade, when someone called to Mamoru behind them. Usagi turned to see seven or eight college aged girls trying to flag him down. Mamoru's eyes widened in panic.

"Run!" he hissed, and began pulling her at an even faster pace.

"What's going on?" Usagi demanded

"Let's just say my day hasn't been a whole lot different than yours" he said over his shoulder. Mamoru spared a glance over his shoulder, his pursuers were nowhere in sight.

"I think we lost them" Usagi said, echoing his thoughts. Mamoru nodded, and slowed a bit. Usagi took the lead, and dragged him to the right, through a set of automatic doors. They collapsed onto a pair of stools, grateful for the relative safety if the arcade. Usagi reluctantly released Mamoru's hand, and looked up- into the friendly welcoming face of Motoki.


	6. Things Best Forgotten

Things Best Forgotten

Usagi took a moment to wonder how she ended up crouched in a narrow alley. Hadn't she just done this? Wasn't she just in this SAME predicament less than an hour ago?

"That" She panted over her shoulder, "Was a very bad idea." Mamoru for his part seemed to be beyond words. He had one hand on his chest as he gasped for breath, and he looked rather pale.

"I didn't even know Motoki could sing" he panted. Usagi frowned

"That was traumatizing all by itself" She shuddered. Mamoru peeked around the corner, thanking his lucky stars that the coast seemed to still be clear.

"We'll discuss Motoki's musical shortcomings later. Right now we need to get out of here; they've already found us in this alley once" Usagi nodded in agreement

"Got any ideas?" Mamoru paused

"We could go to my apartment I supp-"

"No." Usagi cut him off. He shot her a bewildered look

"We may not have always gotten along but we're in this together. You're perfectly safe with me you know" Usagi smiled a little.

"I know that, but think baka; how many of those girls know where you live? And if the scene at the arcade was any clue…" she paled visibly "We'd be there five minutes before they'd drag me out and string me up." Mamoru paused a moment, then grabbed her hand.

" I know the perfect place" he said. He checked once more to make sure there was nobody in sight before dragging her behind him. He hesitated for just a second looking back over his shoulder

"And Odango- what happened at the arcade… let us never speak of it again"

I know this is kind of a tease to post such a short update after so long a wait, but I'm moving and I wanted to post something before the computer go packed. It may be a while before I post again but I'll get on it as soon as I can. I love the input I've received, and thank you for reading!


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